Christmas Gift List Spreadsheet Template (Excel and Google Sheets)

Updated 2026-11-06

TL;DR: Make one row per gift with columns for Person, Idea, Budget, Spent, Bought, Wrapped and Notes. Sum the Budget and Spent columns, then use =BudgetTotal-SpentTotal for money left. Tick Bought and Wrapped with checkboxes or Yes/No so you can see what is still outstanding before Christmas.

A gift list on paper gets lost. A simple spreadsheet shows who still needs a gift, what you planned to spend and whether it is wrapped yet.

Columns to set up

Put headers in row 1:

A Person	B Idea	C Budget	D Spent	E Bought	F Wrapped	G Shop / link	H Notes
Mum	Scarf	25	22	Yes	No		Blue

One gift per row (if someone gets two gifts, use two rows)
Format C and D as currency
Use a drop-down for Bought and Wrapped: Yes / No
Keep a second sheet named People with each person once if you want summaries

Formulas for remaining budget

Under the table (or in a small dashboard at the top):

Budget total:  =SUM(C2:C100)

Spent total:   =SUM(D2:D100)

Money left:    =B1-B2   (if B1 is budget total and B2 is spent total)

Per person, on a summary sheet:

=SUMIF(GiftList!A:A,A2,GiftList!C:C)   → budgeted for that person

=SUMIF(GiftList!A:A,A2,GiftList!D:D)   → spent for that person

=B2-C2                                 → left for that person

More SUMIF patterns: SUMIFS and COUNTIFS examples. For the full holiday budget (food, travel, wrapping), use the Christmas budget tracker.

Progress checks

Count gifts still to buy: =COUNTIF(E2:E100,"No")
Count still to wrap: =COUNTIF(F2:F100,"No")
Flag overspend on a row with conditional formatting when Spent > Budget (see conditional formatting recipes)
Filter Bought = No in the week before your shipping deadlines

Google Sheets vs Excel

The same formulas work in both. In Sheets you can Insert → Checkbox for columns E and F, then count unchecked boxes with =COUNTIF(E2:E100,FALSE). In Excel, use Insert → Checkbox (Microsoft 365) or stick with Yes/No drop-downs.

Ready-made option

Want the tracker without building it? Our Christmas gift tracker and holiday budget spreadsheet ($5) is on the products page, with a dashboard for money left.

Quick FAQ

What columns does a Christmas gift list need? At least Person, Idea, Budget, Spent, Bought and Wrapped. Add a shop link and notes if you order online.

How do I calculate money left? =SUM(Budget)-SUM(Spent), or a per-person SUMIF on the Person column.

Can I share the list with my partner? Yes. Put it in Google Sheets or OneDrive/Excel online and share edit access so both of you tick Bought when something arrives.

How is this different from a Christmas budget tracker? The gift list is one row per present. The budget tracker also covers food, travel and wrapping totals.

Sources: Microsoft Excel Help; Google Docs Editors Help: SUMIF.

← More guides